The first ultrafast fibre connections have now gone live in a pilot area of a ground-breaking Pembrokeshire broadband project.

Enfys Thomas and her father Alun of Wallis were delighted to be the first connected to gigabit-capable fibre and were looking forward to enjoying the benefits of a fast, reliable connection.

The connection was made as part of Pembrokeshire County Council’s ground-breaking gigabit capable (1,000Mbps) fibre broadband project.

Enfys said: “Everything is working fine. It’s a heck of a lot quicker than what we were getting. It’s fantastic really.

“We are looking forward to using it. I think it is going to make a big difference, not just to us, but to everyone in the area, especially those who have had a hard year working from home.”

She also praised Broadway Partners who carried out the installation: “They were brilliant, very tidy and professional.”

Clr. Paul Miller, the Pembrokeshire County Council Cabinet Member for Economy, Tourism, Leisure and Culture, said: “It was great to watch the first connection go live last week.

“It was the culmination of months of hard work by our Digital Pembrokeshire team and by suppliers Broadway Partners.

“Without our intervention programme, communities like these simply would not have been on the radar for a full fibre connection.

“It could have been a decade before real digital connectivity reached rural north Pembrokeshire and all the while our communities would have been falling further and further behind, excluded from the everyday digital services we all take for granted.

“With this new, gigabit-capable, connection Mr and Miss Thomas are now able to access among the fastest broadband speeds in the country and from here the roll-out starts at pace. 

“I’m committed to ensuring that every Pembrokeshire home and business is able to access gigabit capable broadband and to making sure our Pembrokeshire communities are among the very best digitally connected in all of the UK.”

Mr and Miss Thomas’ home was connected by Broadway Partners, the company chosen by the community to provide the infrastructure and service.

Work on the network will now continue at a steady pace as connections are made across the project area, making ultrafast fibre available to every property, not matter how remote.

Connections will follow in coming months across the other pilot areas of Crymych, Dale and New Moat, where residents also chose Broadway Partners.

Michael Armitage, Chief Executive of Broadway Partners, added: “Broadway was honoured to be entrusted by the Ambleston community to deliver their fibre upgrade. 

“During these difficult times, and in some of the most challenging locations we have faced, we are delighted to have now started connecting residents to our ultrafast fibre service and repaying that trust.

“Over the next few months, we will be connecting thousands more homes and businesses across Pembrokeshire - delivering speeds of 100Mpbs and beyond, and transforming communities for years to come.

 “This is a momentous time for the community, which we believe heralds a new era of connectivity and opportunity for the County as a whole.”

Pembrokeshire County Council’s flagship gigabit capable fibre broadband project continues to roll out and is designed to reach all properties, no matter how rural they may be, ensuring that no-one is left behind.

Using government voucher funding, this unique scheme will boost opportunities for residents and businesses, and aims to make Pembrokeshire one of the best digitally connected counties in the UK, with all properties having access to futureproof gigabit-capable broadband.

The project started by tackling some of the most rural areas of the county, which will benefit the most from an upgrade to reliable ultrafast fibre broadband speeds.

Creating the new infrastructure as part of a complex engineering project in the pilot areas has revealed some unexpected challenges, but lessons learned can be applied to future areas, which are expected to be connected at a greater pace as the hard work continues on site and behind the scenes.

To find out more about the Pembrokeshire project and to register and interest, visit: www.pembrokeshire.gov.uk/broadband-survey